A/N:
I will be using a song from the group Carbon Based Lifeforms for each chapter.
Based on what happens in each chapter, I will pick an appropriate song to serve as the theme.
You can take a listen to them on Youtube if you want.
Well, lets get to the good stuff, shall we?
Theme song: Carbon Based Lifeforms-Interloper
Chapter 1: An Interloper No More
My internal clock triggered my mind to wind up and my eyes to open, at precisely eight o'clock, on this Friday morning. A familiar sight greeted me as I peered past the bars of my cage: a fair amount of snow piled up against the window of the bookstore.
Reaching up with my right foot, I popped the latch and climbed out, hopping down onto the sturdy wooden counter right behind the window. I expected to be struck with the glare from the snow-covered street ahead, but there was none to be seen. Tilting my head up, I noted the dreary sheet of clouds far above, shadowing most of the light from the sun.
"Well, that explains it."
I then noticed a certain chill in the air, frosty enough to weave past my coating of feathers. As I puffed them out to combat the cold, a loud thud registered in my ears. A flattened snowball was sliding down the glass, between the blue "B" and the "L" painted on the same surface.
"Really? I bet it's those two lame Branta canadensis again..."
Inching closer to the transparent sheet, I spied two Canada Geese balanced on a nearby bench.
"Go away, Alice and Chloe! Can you not realize that a mere snowball isn't enough to penetrate this practical forcefield?"
A muffled response of, "Yes, we can. We like to annoy you anyways! It's me and Alice's daily routine now!"
I watched as the goose on the left heaved another wad of snow in my direction.
"Whatever. Your shenanigans have no effect on my emotions. Just keep wasting your energy! I pity the fool...or in this case, the fools..."
Realizing that Linda was still sleeping, and that I was her official alarm clock, I turned away from the idiot twins and faced the staircase.
I dropped roughly to the floor and began the slow climb up the wooden spiral. After more hops than I could count, I reached the second floor and trotted past Linda's slightly open door.
Using my beak and claws, I clambered up onto the nightstand and then walked onto the oak headboard.
Out of my beak issued a repertoire of various noises, some of which I had replicated from the ambiance of Moose Lake, and others from Youtube searches. A hand then reached up and nudged my head in, prompting me to finish with a car's "alarm deactivation sound."
"Hello. Good morning, Blu..."
After yawning and propping herself up on the edge of the bed, Linda continued, "Today's a very special day! I have a surprise for you downstairs..."
After donning her glasses, she trudged from the room, the floorboards creaking beneath her footfalls. My interest piqued, I bounced off the bed and waddled after her. Upon reaching the energy-consuming staircase, I skidded along the banister and easily reached the end before she.
Dashing into the kitchen, I landed on the cooking island and peered at the refrigerator. July 17th, 2006, was outlined in red, accompanied by lovely script in the interior: Blu's Tenth Birthday! Don't forget his dessert.
Now understanding the meaning of Linda's previous statement, I mentally face-palmed.
"I completely forgot my own 'birthday!' At least someone managed to remember it!"
The day Linda rescued me from the crate had been designated my new "birthday." Given my former situation, the day I actually came into existence will most likely remain forever a mystery.
Linda hurried through the kitchen and off into the living-room, causing my smile to fade, along with an agitated squawk emanating from my beak.
"I'm coming Blu! Hold on, let me find your present and turn on the heater! It's freezing in here..."
Linda returned with an oddly-shaped package, all wrapped up in jungle-themed paper. She placed the distorted gift down next to me, awaiting for my beak to reveal its contents. Instead, I pointed at the fridge with my wing and squawked again.
"What are you-oh, you saw the calendar, huh? You know the rule: no cake until after twelve o'clock. Open your present, and I'll make you some pancakes..."
I shrugged and started tearing through the wrapping with my pointed beak, occasionally picking up a soft jingling. Eventually, the last shreds of paper slid off, and my eyes widened upon seeing what they had hidden. A good-sized golden bell, complete with an attachment hook, rocked back and forth on the linoleum.
I nudged it with my left foot, and the most soul-stirring chime resounded. Unable to contain my joy, I half-fluttered, half-fell to the floor, the bell rattling dully in my left foot.
I hobbled around the corner and over to my cage and shouted, "Linda! I need some help over here."
Light footfalls filled the air, and two gentle hands scooped me up and placed me on the wooden sill. "There you go, Blu. Have fun with your bell!"
"Thanks, Linda!"
I entered my cage and carefully hung the shining ornament from one of the bars on the roof. I tapped it with my beak, utterly infatuated with the lovely sound.
"Linda, this is scintillating! I love this gift!"
I grabbed the bell and shook it around gently for several minutes, until I felt my leg start to get fatigued.
As I relaxed in the cage, Linda arrived with a short stack of silver-dollar pancakes, complete with dabs of butter and thin streams of syrup. She set the ivory plate down on the wood, and then motioned for me to eat.
Before doing so, I extracted myself from the cage and leaped onto her shoulder, nuzzling her affectionately with my head.
"Thank you so much!" I chirped.
She returned the favor with a few brief strokes down my back.
"You're welcome, my big, brave boy!"
I fluttered down to the scrumptious golden circles and proceeded to tear into the topmost one. Reveling in the swirl of flavors, I swallowed a chunk and bobbed my head several times.
"I knew you would like them! They're my treat to you. I think you need some hot chocolate to go along with them..."
Linda vanished back into the kitchen, and ceramic clinking resounded. She soon returned with a stout ceramic mug trailing vapor as she walked.
Placing the mug down next to me, she intoned, "You're welcome, Blu! Six marshmallows, like always..."
She left my sight once again, headed most likely to the kitchen to make her own breakfast.
As I slowly downed the pancakes, punctuated by sips of the warm Swiss Miss chocolate, I couldn't help but muse about the complete redirect my life had undergone.
"It's all so...strange, yet so...peaceful. To think that I once lived over six thousand miles away from here...in the jungle..."
As my mind struggled to dredge up the memories from that distant time, I lowered a half-eaten circle to the plate and gazed out at the dull sky.
"I wonder what my parents were like. Did they enjoy living there? Did I even enjoy living there?"
At that point, my eyes watered as fragments of the disaster returned like a waking nightmare.
All I could recall is dancing to the joyous chants of the other avian species, and before I knew it, I was falling. My stubby wings were useless against the pull of gravity. Even though I only fell for a few seconds, that feeling was just...terrifying! I guess that's when the seed of my aerophobia was planted in me. Then the cage fell down around me and took me away. After that, all I remember is being trapped in a shaking room, next to a bunch of other birds...
I tried to wipe away the tears, but with little success.
"Why? What did us jungle birds ever do to humans? Nothing! Nothing that could ever warrant such inhumane treatment! They took me away from a place I barely even knew...took me from loving parents I barely even knew."
As I advanced along the time-line of my young life, the clarity increased slightly.
No feeling had ever crushed me so completely as the feeling of abandonment. After a dizzying tumble, followed by a smooth stop, I huddled up in the crate that served as my prison, unable think of one solution to my current problem. I guessed that, wherever I was, I would never be reunited with my mother and father. That thought alone was like a spear through my soul...
My demeanor lightened slightly upon recalling the events that happened next.
"That crate was so cold, so lonely, so confined. Thank God Linda found me," Blu said, the sentence more a breath of relief than actual words. "Fate, dumb luck, doesn't matter…this is my home." I smiled, contentment replacing the pessimistic memories that had been etched into my brain.
I then resolved to finish the rest of my breakfast, being as my owner had entered the business section of the bookstore. Linda walked to the door, disengaged the lock, and flipped the open/closed sign around. I watched as she moved to the left side of the room and slowly began her weekly organizing and clean-up of the shelves.
I noticed that the air temperature had increased, and I felt loads more comfortable than I had earlier. Seeing her all grown up instantly dried my tears, and the more vivid memories of our unified lives flowed back into my brain.
Her yearly birthdays were always enriching, and I got myself sick most of the time, from eating too much cake.
Her prom was...well...exciting! Lucas McFadden was her date, a strange boy with a oft-angered expression. He never got used to me sitting on Linda's shoulder. Linda was a decent dancer, but it was very awkward for her and Lucas, being as I was practically fastened to her the entire time.
Her graduation was relatively uneventful, but I still found enjoyment in that, knowing that Linda would be spending a whole lot more time with me.
Let's see...five years after that, Linda bought a small little space on Madison Avenue, which would become this very bookstore, the bookstore she had always wanted. I never found out where or how she got the money for the building, let alone the funds for the tons of supplies and the books she would need to fill it!
We injected so much time and effort into setting this place up, although in actuality Linda did far more than I, for obvious reasons. Linda's father was often around to help as well, being the handyman that he was. We left the cabinet, shelf, and electrical jobs to him, resorting to handle the less intuitive tasks ourselves.
My inability to fly made me feel quite left out during the whole process, but I did manage to help Linda place books on the lower shelves and dust from time to time. I had plenty of fun painting the name of the store on the window, which she named in my honor.
I have to admit, Blue Macaw Books is a very catchy name. It makes me a mascot in a sense!
From the moment Linda first displayed the open sign, up until now, life has been pretty easy. Eventually, we set up a daily routine, which has changed little over the past few years.
A fair amount of people would show up each day to browse Linda's collection, and said people would often comment to Linda about me. I could remember them saying, "What a lovely bird you have!" or, "You two must be very good friends!" and, "I see how this fancy place got its name."
At that moment, as Linda was straightening the books on the right wall, the front door creaked open, along with the jingling of the bell suspended above it. My musings were stopped cold, and I firmly announced the guest's presence.
"Linda, someone's here!"
A timid-looking woman entered, causing a blast of cold air to cut into my skin. She looked about Linda's height, and her rich black hair was cut short. A hounds-tooth print scarf swaddled her neck, and she wore what looked like dark blue pajama bottoms. A blue jacket completed her attire.
My cheerful chirp caught her attention, causing her to turn and stare at me, her mahogany purse rocking about from the motion.
"Well, hello there little guy! You are a very fancy-looking bird! What's your name?"
"My name's Blu!"
Even though I knew she couldn't understand me on the same level as my owner, I didn't want to fail to return her courtesy. She turned and walked further into the room and was met by my owner.
"I'm Linda. How are you today? Did you come to buy some books?"
"Hello, Linda! I'm Sarah. Do you happen to have any works by Ernest Hemingway?"
"I just might, Sarah. Let me check..."
Linda fired up the computer on the counter a few feet ahead, the one she kept her inventory list on. The staccato clicks of the keys filled the air for a few short seconds.
I heard Sarah say, "Your bird is so handsome! Where'd you get him?"
"His name's Blu, and thank you! I found him on the side of the road, believe it or not! I think he was bound for a pet store, but his crate fell from the truck he was in. That was ten years ago."
"Wow! Sure was a lucky find for you. You two must share a strong bond!"
"Without a doubt. He's the best non-human friend anyone could ever have! Okay, I do have Ernest Hemingway books. Do you have a specific title in mind?"
"Yes. It's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls,' Linda."
"Okay then. Let me see where it is...got it! Follow me..."
She moved away from the counter and marched over to the left wall, scanning the top row of neatly stacked books. She plucked the requested book and returned to the counter. More key clicks followed, and after the bar-code scanner issued a short beep, Linda declared, "12.99, Sarah."
The stout customer dug two clean bills from her purse and placed them in front of Linda.
"Here's fifteen."
Linda popped open the register hidden inside the counter and collected the change.
"Here you go! Have a nice day!"
"You too, Linda! Bye!"
As she reached the door, book in hand, she extended her hand out and patted my head.
"Bye, Blu. Stay warm and cozy, okay?"
"Sure thing! Bye!"
She threw open the door and trotted out, walking in front of the window and disappearing.
"I don't think we'll ever come across anyone who doesn't like you, Blu!" said Linda as she neared me.
"Probably not!" I chirped.
Linda smiled and held her arm out, a signal that had now rooted itself in my brain. I hopped onto her arm, the orange material of her shirt allowing me a firm grip.
She bounced up the stairs and turned right after a short walk down the hallway. She came to a stop in a beige-tinted room, shutting the door gently behind her. I immediately grew ecstatic as I realized that I would be getting a bath.
"Friday is bath day, Blu, and being as it's your birthday, you need to be clean! Are you ready?"
"Yes! Let's go!"
She brushed the shower curtain aside and placed me down in the tub. She cranked on the water, taking her time to adjust the temperature, so as not to freeze or scald me.
"Ahh, nice and toasty!"
She stood up and unhooked the shower head, holding it with her left hand while pulling the switch on the spigot with her right.
Unfortunately, the shower head was pointed towards me, and to both my and Linda's horror, a single stream of water blasted from the center of it. The jet of liquid knocked me off balance and plastered me against the wall of the tub. The jet turned into a omni-directional spray after hitting me, soaking Linda as thoroughly as I.
Amidst the onslaught, I choked, "Linda! Change...the setting! There's water everywhere!"
"Ahhh! Whoops!"
Linda gripped the plastic and rotated it, finally coming to the setting she used for me. I slipped several times before finally coming to my feet, spitting some water from my lungs and coughing.
"Sorry, Blu! I didn't know I had left it on that setting!"
She stared at my body, my feathers now drooping and matted from the weight of the water.
"There's really not much left to wash! Oh well. A gentle rinse wouldn't hurt."
She drew the cascading water over me a few more times, and despite the previous tumult, I relaxed under it. She ran her hands through my feathers, dislodging any foreign particles and grime that had accumulated. After that, she ceased the water flow and replaced the shower head.
Placing me on the floor next to the tub, she wrapped me in a rose-printed towel and left the room to change her sopping clothes.
She came back a few minutes later, wearing comfy jeans and a fluffy short-sleeve shirt.
"Let me dry you, Blu. We need to get back downstairs before someone else shows up."
One scuffle with a towel and assault-by-blow-dryer later, I was back downstairs, perched on Linda's shoulder this time. My feathers were now stout and puffy, and about as blue as a bolt of lightning.
Linda sat down in front of her personal computer, which was off in the living room, left of the TV.
"Ow, Blu! My fingers are broken! How will I ever log on?"
She clutched her fingers, attempting to hold back the laughter behind her display.
"You crack me up, Linda!"
I hopped down onto the desk and pranced along the keyboard, albeit very carefully. Linda clicked the enter button, and after the Windows opening chime, the home screen came up.
The background was a picture of Linda and I in our 2004 Halloween costumes.
Linda threw open a Google Chrome window and went to Yahoo to check her e-mail.
"Hmmm," she muttered as she ran down the inbox list. "Well, nothing important so far! I wonder when your virtual birthday cards will get here. Surely my parents didn't forget!"
"They won't, Linda," I assured her. "They'll probably come later."
She closed out the window and clicked on the iTunes icon. As it loaded, Linda faced me and asked, "What music do you want to hear, Blu? It's your birthday, so I'll let you pick."
A few moments later, it came up, and I pointed at the option that read "My Top Rated."
Linda clicked on that, and song after song filled the screen.
"Put it on shuffle, Linda."
I pointed at the crossed arrows on the lower left, and they turned from black to blue following Linda's mouse action. I jumped on the space-bar, and one of the songs began playing, highlighted by a screen-wide blue bar.
I focused on the screen and studied the randomly picked song.
"Interloper, by Carbon Based Lifeforms. I remember this one."
As the song began, Linda said, "I'm going back into the bookstore! Be careful around the computer, and if you ever need me, you know what to do!"
"Sure thing, Linda!"
As the song progressed, I couldn't help but marvel at the melancholy it carried. I dissected the song mentally, identifying each sound and reveling in their complexity.
"Ahhh. So soothing. The relaxing drumbeat, the sweeping pads, the heavenly chimes..."
The sound-scape streaming from the speakers was of dreamlike quality, pure and true. It was as though it had passed through the wings of an angel before reaching my ears.
I closed my eyes and sat down on the counter, but the chirping of birds coming from outside caught my attention. I depress the space-bar, pausing the song, before moving across the desk and peering out the small window.
A pair of wrens were nuzzling on a nearby streetlight, whistling occasionally. A pang of longing suddenly worked its way into my system.
I had read up on animal behavior in the past, and my guess was that I was seeing a mated pair of birds. In addition, the drive to find a member of the opposite sex, and to well, reproduce, was buried in every animal's biology.
Being as I was as far away from any real jungle, where macaws like me lived, I realized that my drive would probably never be satisfied.
"Will I ever find one of my own species? Will I ever have somebody to like, and even...love, more so than I love Linda? Being as I'm stuck in a tiny bookstore, in a tiny town, my guess would be no."
Even though I had never really pondered it, the thought of never having a mate of my own, kids of my own, caused me unrest. Linda and I were all we had for now, but she would probably find a loving husband in a few years.
She would be truly happy, but I would still be alone, in a sense. As much as I didn't want to, I would have to accept the fact that, years and years from now, I would probably die alone.
Still, I had to stay positive, since adding another worry to my mind was not healthy. Being unable to fly was already enough of a problem.
"I have to focus, clear away the negativity. Miracles do happen, all over the world, every day. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be the recipient of one..."
I left the window and resumed the song, the lovely aura chasing away my worries. Resuming my relaxed position, the song title resonated in my head, and I came to a realization.
The correlation between it and my life was actually shocking.
"A completely random shuffle, and this song comes up. It's almost...scary!"
I paused and tied the meaning of the song to my current state.
"An interloper. Before Linda, that's what I was. An innocent macaw torn between two worlds. True, I was lost, but then I was found. Even though I won't have one of my own species next to me, I still have Linda. Really, that's all that matters. An interloper I was, but now...an interloper no more."
A/N:
Don't forget to review/flame!
I sincerely thank you for it.
Lastly, I have some thanks to give to fellow writer KhallieGurl. As her review states, my chapter had some, well, problems, and she graciously helped me correct them.
Even though it is rare to do so, and even rarer for a supposedly "phenomenal" author like me, I decided to rework this chapter in the Document Manager and update it.
Thus, the "criticisms" she stated were from my previous wrecked chapter, and no longer apply. But the praise she gave me still does.
Everybody makes mistakes, eh?
As for the future chapters of this story, you all have my word that I will avoid such mistakes.
*THE Wolf Is Out*